Super Bowl

Daniel Snyder needed to sell the Commanders ... so says the team's former star running back Brian Mitchell, who tells us former Washington players, him included, are thrilled the embroiled owner is finally selling the organization.

"When Dan [Snyder] came along, he had this mindset where, yeah, he needed us when he needed us, but he didn't want to have us around a lot," Brian, who was at a "Bye Dan" event celebrating the sale, told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Even more so than the former players, Mitchell, a former All-Pro, says Commanders fans wanted Synder out, adding he hasn't heard a single person voice support for the 58-year-old owner, which speaks volumes to how people feel about him.

"I think a lot of fans are happy because they just wanted to get rid of him," Mitchell said. "You get to a point where you just don't think you can have success with a certain person, and it got to that point."

The Super Bowl champion said Washington went from a storied franchise to the laughing stock of the NFL under Snyder's tutelage and felt "something needed to change" for the fans and players to have some pride in the team again.

Mitchell -- who spent ten seasons with Washington -- recalled how the organization painted him to be a problem child and never hesitated to let him go ... a standard BM feels should also be applied to ownership.

Of course, DS' reign was plagued by scandal ... that got so bad Congress opened an investigation into the inner workings of the org.

Synder purchased the franchise in 1999 (for less than $800 mil), but after 24 years and a massive $6.05 billion bid from an ownership group featuring NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, 76ers owner Josh Harris, and billionaire Mitchell Rales, Snyder's tenure is coming to an end.

Rihanna's learning motherhood is all about multitasking -- something her son reminded her of as she tried squeezing in a workout, with him riding the human equivalent of shotgun.

The singer posted a sweet home video of her at the crib with the kid -- whose name we still don't know ... but whose face we're certainly getting familiar with as time goes on. The 10-month-old was being held by his mama, and it looks like he was a little fussy in her arms.

In the video, you see her boy squirming about as Rihanna cradles him -- but, before long, she's got him distracted with what sounds like a family-friendly TV show of some sort. That seems to have done the trick ... judging by his big smile and cute cooing.

You can also see Rihanna's growing baby bump here as well ... where she's carrying her second child with A$AP Rocky. Just like we saw at the SB, it's pretty noticeable -- although it's hard to say just how far along she might be at this point. Looks like she's in the second trimester.

Gotta hand it to Rihanna ... she seems to be quite the hands-on mother ... even amid her pregnancy. Her son's been tagging along with her wherever she goes these days -- including for an overnight photo shoot she recently did, where Baby Fenty was asleep on mama bear.

Ever since we saw the kid's face in full view in December ... she's been showing off her little man a lot more on social media, and the kid's absolutely adorable. No exception here either.

Rihanna's doing it all ... embracing motherhood while also working overtime on her career -- no easy feat when you consider the hours she's putting in, but her son's along for the ride.

Mama Rih was cradling her baby boy Thursday morning, fresh out of a photo shoot that lasted from 7 PM to 7 AM ... according to a photo agency. We're told she arrived the exact same way she left, with her sleeping child in her arms.

We don't know what the shoot was for, but it's possible the baby was included.

RiRi, who is expecting her second child, was also accompanied by another pal and her bestie Melissa ... so, looks like she might have some childcare assistance while on set.

TMZ broke the story ... Rihanna and A$AP Rocky welcomed their first child in May of 2022.

You'll recall, she made a surprising reveal for baby #2 during her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.

She's had a busy year, professionally ... in addition to the Super Bowl, she recently performed her Oscar-nominated song from 'Wakanda Forever' during the 95th Academy Award.

Lamar Jackson just dropped some bombshell news -- the NFL superstar announced he requested a trade from the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month ... claiming the team is not interested in paying him what he deserves.

The former MVP shared his intentions via Twitter minutes ago ... giving his fans a direct update on his NFL future.

"As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value," Jackson said Monday. "any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the super bowl."

"You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I," he added. "No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You’ll See me again"

Of course, Jackson's contract situation has been a hot topic this offseason ... with the Ravens placing a nonexclusive franchise tag on the former first-round pick, which allows him to sign an offer sheet with another team.

Lamar made it clear he wanted to be locked in long-term with a big payday ... but that didn't happen.

As it turns out, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was speaking with the media as Jackson sent out the tweet ... and he said he expects Lamar to be a Baltimore Raven come Week 1.

"Thinking about Lamar all the time, thinking about him as our quarterback, we’re building our offense around that idea," Harbaugh said. "I’m just looking forward to getting back to football and I’m confident that’s gonna happen."

Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day -- a former Super Bowl champion -- claims he was sexually assaulted by TSA personnel on Friday.

The 28-year-old, who signed with the Chargers in 2022 after spending his first three seasons in the NFL with the Rams, said the incident all happened at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif.

He claims as he was going through security checkpoints, an agent touched him inappropriately. He alleges that when he asked the worker to stop -- he was then "swarmed" by three more TSA members.

"I'm all for people doing their job well," he wrote in a series of statements on his Twitter page Friday morning. "But it was extremely unnecessary and dehumanizing. I travel a lot, for personal and work reasons. I’ve never experienced anything like that @JohnWayneAir."

Joseph-Day says he immediately went to file a complaint ... but accused officials of "making me jump through hoops to do so."

"I'm not sharing this on Twitter for sympathy. I'm sharing this so this group of gentleman and staff aren't allowed to do this ever again to another human being."

TSA released a statement to Fox News on the matter on Sunday ... saying it was aware of the allegations and is investigating the claims.

"We are looking into the matter to determine if our procedures were followed and whether any corrective action needs to be taken," officials said.

"TSA remains committed to treating every traveler with dignity and respect while carrying out its security screening responsibilities."

Travis Kelce is weighing in on the NFL's greatest tight end debate ... telling TMZ Sports he's not worthy of the G.O.A.T. title.

Many have thrown Kelce's name into the debate lately -- including Giants star Darren Waller and Chiefs great Christian Okoye, who both told us #87 will go down as the best to ever play the position by the end of his career ... over legends like Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates.

So ... now that he's a two-time champion, what does Kelce think about being considered the tight end G.O.A.T.??

"Nah, there's a lot of great tight ends out there," Kelce said. "I can't just say I'm the best."

The Kansas City Chiefs superstar points out his set-up with Patrick Mahomes and a Super Bowl-winning team certainly helps his success ... adding, "I know I'm taking advantage of the situation, though."

Kelce already ranks among the top tight ends in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns through 10 seasons ... and shows no signs of slowing down. If he ends up #1 in all those categories by the time he retires, it'll be hard to argue he isn't the G.O.A.T., no matter what he thinks.

Speaking of being humble, we also talked to Kelce about the rave reviews he got after hosting "Saturday Night Live" last weekend ... and he downplays the high praise -- telling us he had a lot of fun, but isn't too sure about having enough talent to make it in acting.

The video of Michael Irvin and his sexual misconduct accuser was finally released Tuesday ... and the footage shows the ex-NFL star had a fairly lengthy conversation with the woman -- touching her twice on the elbow -- before leaving.

Irvin's attorney, Levi McCathern, shared a copy of the Marriott vid at a news conference with reporters ... after obtaining the clip following a weekslong legal battle with the hotel chain over it.

In the video, which was captured at the Phoenix, Ariz. establishment on Feb. 5, you can see Irvin and the hotel employee initially began talking right at the entrance of the bar area, shaking hands -- before moving a few feet away into the lobby.

Irvin and the woman can be seen in the footage chatting for over a minute. Twice during their interaction, Irvin touches the woman's elbow. A short time later, the two shake hands, and then the woman walks away. The entire interaction seemed unremarkable.

Irvin can then be seen in the video appearing to slap himself on the cheek three times. He then walks over to take a selfie with a man that McCathern believes is an employee of the hotel. Following the picture, Irvin walks out of the camera's view.

In court documents filed last week, Marriott claims the woman said that during the conversation with Irvin, the former football player asked her "whether she knew anything about having a 'big Black man inside of [her].'"

After the video was shown, Irvin denied making any such comment -- saying, "I don't speak like that. I've never spoken like that. I totally deny saying that."

He added that their convo was simply about football and the TV shows that he's on.

"We used to say in football, 'The eye in the sky don't tell no lie,'" he said. "It's just the truth."

McCathern, meanwhile, said he believes the video shows Irvin's accuser was "happy as a lark" during their conversation. He speculated that another employee in the area may have been upset with her for communicating with Irvin while on the job.

"There's no doubt from watching this, this woman is not offended," McCathern said. "This is not a sexual assault. This isn't sexual harassment. This isn't sexual misconduct."

McCathern refiled his $100 million lawsuit against Marriott and others involved in the allegations against Irvin in Arizona on Tuesday morning ... after he said he wanted to make sure he was suing "the right people."

Ryan McKenna, once famous for snapping a pic with Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl, stands accused of striking a cop during his allegedly drunken arrest ... but new video shows cops tossing him to the ground pretty hard.

The clip, obtained by TMZ, shows 18-year-old Ryan with multiple cops around him as they try to detain him -- they're struggling to get his arms behind his back.

After the attempts to cuff him don't work ... you can see one of the deputies yank him by the leg, flipping him down on a concrete floor. Even after the brutal takedown, Ryan kept his arms tucked to his chest, instead of putting them behind his back.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement was called on the eve of this year's Super Bowl to a CPK in Naples, FL for a report of a man who was drunk and hitting his friend.

According to cops, Ryan and a 15-year-old boy got into an argument, and things escalated to the point where Ryan aggressively pushed their table and started shouting obscenities at the boy's GF.

In their report, cops admit putting hands on Ryan to calm him down, but claim he yanked their hands off his chest. Deputies then tried to detain Ryan, which is apparently when the video begins.

Cops said Ryan was taken to jail and booked for felony battery on a law enforcement officer and 2 misdemeanors -- resisting arrest and obstruction of an officer.

BTW, Ryan's mom Tracy told us her son was NOT drunk during the incident ... and instead was just joking around with his friends, trying to be funny by pushing the table.

Travis Kelce just took the stage at Studio 8H ... and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar crushed his "Saturday Night Live" monologue -- hilariously mocking Patrick Mahomes in the process.

Kelce -- wearing a sharp double-breasted suit -- had the crowd laughing from start to finish ... with jokes about getting busted for weed in college, his infamous dating show, his QB's unique voice and, of course, beating his older brother, Jason, in the Super Bowl.

The Philadelphia Eagles star was in the front row for the whole thing ... and cameras even cut to him multiple times as Travis talked about growing up together.

"Jason and I have actually been playing football together since we were little kids, and he was always better than me at everything," Kelce said.

"In high school, he was an honor student, and I got kicked off the team because I failed French ... and English too, but French sounds way better."

"Then when we were in college, I actually got kicked off the team because I tested positive for marijuana. So, it just goes to show you if you smoke weed and you're bad at school, you can win the Super Bowl twice."

Travis' family -- including Mama Kelce -- were also present for the monologue.

Kelce explained it was an emotional moment for him ... as he grew up watching Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler on the same stage.

Jason also made an appearance in a skit later in the show ... just as 'SNL' producers previously told us they were trying to make happen.

JuJu Smith-Schuster's making it clear ahead of his impending free agency that he LOVED playing with Patrick Mahomes ... telling TMZ Sports the quarterback is a straight-up "dog."

The star wide receiver can choose to sign with any team in the NFL later this month ... but when we saw him out at LAX this week, we had to ask if he was leaning toward a return to K.C.

JuJu was a bit coy about it all -- but he did note that catching passes from the Chiefs star QB was a dream.

"Ah, man," Smith-Schuster said. "He's the MVP. He's a dog, man."

The 26-year-old then admitted it'd be hard to turn down playing with the signal-caller again in 2023.

"Yeah, man," he said. "It's Patty Mahomes. He's a dog."

Free agency officially kicks off on March 15 -- and Smith-Schuster figures to be a hot commodity -- after recording 78 receptions for 933 yards in 2022.

It's unclear if the Chiefs have made him any sort of offer or will be willing to let him explore the market -- but JuJu clearly isn't sweating any of it.

Wearing a pair of sweet shades, Smith-Schuster -- fresh off his first-ever Super Bowl win -- said he'll be spending the leadup to free agency in Japan!!

The bromantic dinner between Henry Winkler and Patrick Mahomes hasn't gone down yet ... but the actor tells TMZ Sports the offer still stands -- and, yes, ricotta-stuffed chicken is still on the menu.

Remember, The Fonz rapidly became Mahomies with Mahomes after shouting him out on a radio show last year -- and it all eventually led to a very sweet in-person meetup at the Chiefs vs. Chargers game this past season.

In fact, the friendship evolved so much between the two ... Winkler actually ended up inviting Mahomes to a dinner at his house in Los Angeles to dine on his famous chicken dish.

When we got Winkler out at LAX this week, though, he said the breaking of bread with the NFL star has yet to happen ... but he's still holding out hope it'll eventually go down.

"Patrick," Winkler told us, "I really hope you take me up on my offer and come over to my house for dinner."

Winkler said his chicken stuffed with cheese will be on the menu any time ... adding that "of course" Brittany Mahomes and the children are invited!!

Live from New York, it's Jason Kelce!!! Oh, and his kid brother whatshisname, Super Bowl champ guy ... Travis Kelce too.

Yep, there's a good chance it happens, because the Eagles star -- who lost to Travis' Chiefs last month -- was asked to make a special cameo appearance this weekend on "Saturday Night Live" for Travis' hosting gig.

Sources close to production tell TMZ Sports ... Travis will have some familiar faces in the crowd for his big night, including his famous mom Donna Kelce, his Uncle Don, Aunt Joan, and possibly his dad, Ed.

'SNL' producers are hoping Jason joins the family affair too, and not just to sit in the audience. We're told they want him in front of the camera at some point during the show.

Sources say Jason's attendance will be a last-minute decision, though, considering he and his wife just welcomed a baby girl, Bennett, last week -- plus he's also busy with the NFL Combine and his 'New Heights' podcast.

Having Jason join in on Travis' show makes total sense ... especially considering Super Bowl LVII was dubbed "The Kelce Bowl" as their teams faced off in the big game.

Both Kelces are also known to be two of the most talented and charismatic guys in the NFL, so the possibilities in the writers' room are endless. Travis has already dropped two hilarious promos for his comedic debut.

Sources say the Kelce clan is "very excited" for Travis' moment ... but Jason's gonna get his own shine when the fam heads to Philly Sunday to spend time with his new bundle of joy.

Ya wouldn't usually say this to athletes, but in this case, you can -- break a leg, Travis ... and possibly Jason!

Nick Sirianni might be the coolest coach ever -- the Eagles head coach hit up a local bar and took shots with Philly fans over the weekend ... and the video is awesome!!

We're told 41-year-old Sirianni -- who's entering his third season on the headset for the Eagles -- showed up with his buddies at Brewers Towne Tavern in Haddon Township, New Jersey around midnight on Saturday ... and stayed at the spot for a few hours.

At one point, Sirianni got behind the bar and raised a toast to the fans in attendance ... with everyone letting out an Eagles chant before taking shots together. BTW, nice TV show selection in the background.

Sources tell us Sirianni couldn't have been nicer throughout his time at the pub ... enjoying drinks and talking to patrons.

One bargoer, a content creator named Yahmitch, tried to get Coach to make a shoutout to a friend ... but Sirianni made it clear he was just hanging out and wanted to chill like a regular person.

Sirianni wasn't gonna leave the guy without a memento, though ... so he granted a selfie.

George Toma -- the NFL's longtime groundskeeper who goes by the nickname, "The Sodfather" -- is pissed off at the league over its terrible Super Bowl LVII field conditions ... saying he "can't take it anymore."

Toma, who spent 18 months preparing the rye grass that was used during the Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup on Feb. 12, unloaded in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday ... claiming the sod was overwatered four days before the big game at State Farm Stadium.

Of course, there were numerous instances of players slipping all over the field during SB LVII ... with many questioning how the league could mess up on its biggest stage. The NFL refuted any problems the day after the game, though ... saying the grass was tested and met the required standards.

Toma is pointing fingers right at the NFL's field director, Ed Mangan, for the grass being slick the day of the game ... claiming, "he waters the hell out of it and puts it right into the stadium and that's it. Never sees sunlight again. He can't do that."

But H20 apparently wasn't the only mess-up -- Toma also claims Mangan made the mistake of not sanding the field enough.

"He sanded it two weeks too late," Toma told the outlet. "He had only one sanding. He should have had two or three sandings, but he didn't do s***. And that was it."

"And not only that, he didn't take care of it. He wouldn't listen to anybody."

After 80 years in the biz, Toma announced his plans to retire prior to SB LVII ... citing headaches caused by the league's handling of field issues in the past as well.

"Me and the league are finished. They can't tell me what to do anymore. We're done."

The Chiefs' Super Bowl party is STILL raging on ... this time Travis Kelce and his K.C. teammates hit up a Vegas hot spot to commemorate their big victory -- and at one point during the festivities, the star tight end hosed down clubgoers with six liters of bubbly!!

Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and others traveled to Sin City on Friday to keep celebrating their win over the Eagles -- and as you can see in pics and vids, they got after it.

At XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, the football players were welcomed by a VIP experience -- which included an LED drumline, a six-tiered football-themed cake, and Chiefs-colored confetti.

They eventually took the stage and partied yet again with The Chainsmokers ... before Kelce was handed a massive bottle of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut -- that he proceeded to spray all over everyone on the dance floor.

Mahomes, meanwhile, was spotted with his own expensive booze too -- walking around the club with a bottle of Don Julio 1942.

TMZ Sports has learned the party went on for hours -- before it ultimately came to an end at around 3:30 AM.

Of course, the Chiefs are no doubt used to late-night boozy celebrations at this point -- they've been going hard ever since beating Philadelphia in SB LVII on Feb. 12.

Rihanna's halftime performance at Super Bowl LVII caused a ton of outrage for folks watching on TV ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, saying her set was too big on sex.

The overall takeaway from the folks who felt compelled to complain about Rihanna to the feds ... the lyrics and choreography were way too sexualized, with some viewers even comparing it to porn.

TMZ obtained the 103 complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency that regulates television -- regarding this month's Super Bowl broadcast ... and almost all of them had to do with RiRi's halftime show.

One viewer in California even compared Rihanna's set to Kim Petras and Sam Smith's performance at the Grammys, writing ... "I don't care what someone worships but children shouldn't be exposed to pornography and as an adult I don't wish to see it ... Where has decency gone? How about respect for others and self?"

In Utah, one viewer bitched ... "This year the halftime show was so indecent I had to turn off the TV because of the pornographic content."

Meanwhile, folks across the country clutched pearls over the "overtly sexual dancing" and song content heavy on sexual content.

Rihanna was pregnant so she didn't dance much ... and most of the ire was directed at the background dancers, who some say made gestures that "were patently offensive and completely inappropriate for children."

When RiRi did manage some dance moves, they drew complaints too ... with one viewer in Florida complaining, "She spread her a** cheek at the crack. She rubbed her pants where her labia were three times."